TEA TASTING TERMS
 

 

A tea-taster when reporting on a tea makes use of technical terms. The object of the following glossary is to explain the more common terms used in connection with teas grown in N.E. India. An endeavour has also been made to show how these terms link up with correct or faulty manufacture.

The glossary below embodies the amendments made by the Calcutta Tasting Panel and T.R.A.'s Manufacturing Advisor & Tea Taster.
  ADHESIVE Describes well rolled Orange Pekoes of the wiry types,the leaves of which tend to cling together when picked up.
  AROMA A fragrant smell usually derived from the dry leaf or infused leaf of tea grown at high elevations e.g. Darjeeling or Nilgiris.
  AUTUMNAL A seasonal term applied to teas grown during that period. Autumnal teas frequently produce a reddish leaf and liquors with varying degrees of flavour and aroma. With good flavour in cup this reddish leaf will not detract from the value.
  BAGGY

An undesirable taint sometimes found in both dry leaf and liquors of tea withered on inferior hessian or sacking. May also be apparent on teas stored in bags.

New hessian not aired before use and hessian fibres collected with the leaf when brushing from the chungs will also produce baggy taints. Hessian fibres can be extracted by sifting the green leaf before rolling.
  BAKEY An unpleasant liquor taste usually caused by too high temperatures during firing or the driving off of too much moisture. Certain bacteria have been known to cause bakiness.
  BISCUITY Not an unpleasant character sometimes smelt in the dry leaf or tasted in the liquors of well fired Assam teas.
  BLACK Tea which has been allowed to ferment before firing as opposed to Green or Oolong teas. The term is also widely used when describing the colour of dry leaf. Leaf which is black in colour as opposed to brown, red or grey, is generally desirable as it indicates good plucking and careful manufacture. In certain circumstances however brown leaf may be preferable (see "brown"). Tea manufactured from dark leaf as opposed to light leaf, and also well withered leaf, tends to be black.
  BLISTER A noticeable blistering of the leaf ( especially the stem) caused by too rapid removal of moisture in the first fire.
  BLOOM A live as opposed to dull looking tea leaf caused by the fine hairs together with the varnish-like film on the outside of the leaf. The bloom can be removed by faulty sorting and is often completely absent in Broken Pekoe and Pekoe Fanning grades which have been through certain types of cutters.
  BODY A liquor possessing fullness and strength as opposed to thin liquoring teas.
  BOLD Where pieces of dry leaf are large.
  BOUQUET The term applied to teas which have superlative flavour. Bouquet is normally noticed on the infused leaf.
  BRASSY An unpleasant metallic taste usually associated with unwithered or poorly withered tea.
  BRIGHT A live as opposed to a dull looking infused leaf or tea liquor. It is brought out very plainly in a tea liquor after the addition of milk. Brightness usually implies the absence of any harmful bacteria together with careful manufacture.
  BRISK A live taste in the liquor as opposed to flat or soft. Fresh spring water may possibly be described as being brisk when compared with cold boiled water.
  BROKEN Leaf that has been broken by "rolling" or passing through a cutting machine.
  BROWN Describes colour of dry leaf. Some tippy Assam teas during the Second flush have a brown leaf which is quite valuable. Very tippy teas never have a really black leaf appearance. The reason for this is the hair growth down to the shoot. The second leaf may have a quantity of hair insufficient to produce a golden appearance known as tip but sufficient to discolour the leaf to that of a brownish appearance. Also during rolling some hair may be rubbed off the bud and deposited on the coarser leaf. During firing this hair is affixed to the leaf and results in a brownish colour effect.
  BURN Applicable generally to Darjeeling teas denoting a fully fired and often desirable cup character.
  BURNT Tea liquor description meaning that the tea has been subjected to extremely high temperatures during firing which is undesirable. This term is often coupled with blistering although it is not uncommon to have one without the other.
  CASE-HARDENING

Applies mainly to orthodox teas as the result of too high exhaust temperatures, when the outside casing of the stem or mid-rib becomes fully fired and prevents the core from losing its moisture.

It may be noticed by breaking a piece of the stem, which if case hardened, will show a whitish center. This is also known in the Trade as "white ends".

Teas which have been case hardened seldom keep well.
  CHARACTER Undoubtedly a most desirable quality in the liquor of a tea which also permits the recognition of its country of origin and of a particular district within that country.
  More to come.........